October 26, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) provided by the aviation authority for the United Kingdom to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI states the following:

This is the final rule for Biochemical and Microbial Pesticide Data Requirements. The Agency published a proposed rule on March 8, 2006, on the data requirements to support registration of biochemical and microbial pesticides and proposed to update definitions for both biochemical and microbial pesticides. The Agency received comments from 20 commenters, representing State and Federal agencies, industry, and private consultants.

EPA is updating its data requirements in part 158 of Title 40 in the Code of Federal Regulations for the registration of conventional pesticide products. As scientific understanding of potential hazards posed by pesticides has evolved, some data requirements have been imposed on a case-by-case basis but not codified since 1984. Besides providing the regulated community with clearer and more transparent information, the updated data requirements will enhance the development of health and environmental data to conduct scientifically sound chemical hazard/risk assessments to protect human health and the environment. In a companion final rule also being promulgated today, EPA is making technical changes arising from this final rule.

This proposed notice with comment period acknowledges the receipt of a deeming application from The Joint Commission for continued recognition as a national accrediting organization for home health agencies that wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Section 1865(b)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act requires that within 60 days of receipt of an organization's complete application, we publish a notice that identifies the national accrediting body making the request, describes the nature of the request, and provides at least a 30-day public comment period.

This final notice announces the approval of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as a national accreditation organization for the purpose of determining that an entity meets the necessary quality standards to furnish outpatient diabetes self-management training services under Part B of the Medicare program. Therefore, diabetes self-management training (DSMT) programs accredited by the ADA will receive deemed status under the Medicare program.

This notice announces a meeting of the Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC). Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), and the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508), the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Draft Comprehensive Management Plan and programmatic Environmental Impact Statement identifying and evaluating two alternatives to current administration and management of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail. These alternatives respond to the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241-1251), NPS planning requirements, and the issues identified during public scoping. They address trail administration and management, cultural and natural resource protection, and use of the trail by local residents, Native Hawaiians, and the visiting public. When approved, the comprehensive management plan will guide, for approximately 15 years, the National Park Service in administering, preserving, protecting, developing, managing, and maintaining the 175- mile trail which includes portions of the ancient and historic ala loa (long trail; coastal trail around the island). The EIS compares baseline conditions of a ``no action'' alternative with potential impacts and two ``action'' alternatives and, where appropriate, suggests mitigation measures to reduce the intensity of the potential effect or to avoid the potential effect. Three other preliminary alternatives were considered but rejected because they did not achieve the objectives of the plan or were infeasible. An ``environmentally preferred'' alternative is also identified. Background: The National Park Service (NPS) administers the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail (NHT), added to the National Trails System by the U.S. Congress on November 13, 2000. The legislation authorizing the Ala Kahakai NHT identifies an approximately 175-mile portion of prehistoric ala loa (long trail) and other trails on or parallel to the seacoast extending from Upolu Point on the north tip of Hawaii Island down the west coast of the island around South Point to the east boundary of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Ala Kahakai NHT combines surviving elements of the ancient ala loa with segments of later government trails (alanui aupuni), which developed on or parallel to the traditional routes, and more recent pathways and roads that create links between the historic segments. The purposes of the Ala Kahakai NHT, derived from the legislative history, the Feasibility Study, and the public scoping phase completed in 2003, are to: Preserve, protect, reestablish as necessary, and maintain a substantial portion of the ancient ala loa and associated resources and values, along with linking trails on or parallel to the shoreline on Hawaii Island, and Provide for a high quality experience, enjoyment, and education (guided by Native Hawaiian protocol and etiquette) while protecting the trail's natural and cultural heritage and respecting private and community interest. Federal ownership of the Ala Kahakai NHT is limited to the trail alignment within the four national parks it links: Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (NHP), Pu'uhonua o Honaunau NHP, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Approximately 17% of the NHT is within the boundaries of these national parks. With trail authorization, these trail segments become federally protected components of the NHT, in compliance with Sec. 3(a)(3) of the National Trails System Act. The National Trails System Act, as amended, requires the preparation of a comprehensive management plan (CMP) for each new trail in the system. The CMP is intended to provide direction for natural and cultural resource preservation, education, and trail user experience of the Ala Kahakai NHT over the next 15 years. It considers the trail in its entirety. It identifies the necessity of community partnerships to protect trail resources and provide appropriate trail user services. As a partnership endeavor, the success of this plan is not solely determined by the NPS; rather its success rests with the will and preservation of other local government agencies, communities, organizations, neighborhood associations, and individuals who have the capacity and desire to implement actions within this plan. Proposed Plan and Alternatives: Alternative C (both the agency- preferred as well as the ``environmentally preferred'' alternative), is based on the traditional Hawaiian trail system in which multiple trail alignments within the ahupua'a (mountain to sea land division) are integral to land use and stewardship. Within the planning period of 15 years, the goal would be to complete the linear trail within the priority zone from Kawaihae to Pu'uhonau o Honaunau NHP (73 miles) and to protect other segments outside of that area as feasible. In addition, on publicly-owned lands the Ala Kahakai NHT would include inland portions of the ala loa or other historic trails that run lateral to the shoreline and would be connected to ancient or historic mauka-makai (mountain to sea) trails that would have traditionally been part of the ahupua'a system. Through an agreement, the state of Hawaii could convey to the NPS a less-than-fee management interest in trail segments that are state-owned under the Highways Act of 1892 within the Ala Kahakai NHT corridor. The NPS would then be responsible for managing these segments and federal law would fully apply. However, in cooperation with the NPS, local communities of the ahupua'a would be encouraged to take responsibility for trail management using the traditional Hawaiian principles of land management and stewardship. The NPS would offer technical assistance and limited financial assistance to these management partners. Partnerships with state and county agencies, community organizations, and private individuals would help protect trail resources and provide appropriate trail user services. The Ala Kahakai Trail Association would be expected to be robust enough play a major part in trail management, promotion, and funding. An auto tour would be completed that would lead visitors to 18 sites associated with the trail. Alternative A constitutes the ``No Action'' alternative, under which existing programs, facilities, staffing, and funding would generally continue at their current levels. The Ala Kahakai NHT would consist of trail segments within the four national parks through which it passes and only a few other segments, most likely on state lands. A continuous trail, as recommended in the Feasibility Study, would be the goal but would not be achievable, even in the long-term. An auto tour would be completed. Recreation along the trail and interpretation of its history would generally be limited to these sites. Alternative B proposes the completion of a single continuous trail composed of unaltered or verified ancient and historic portions of the ala loa linked as needed by later pre-1892 trails, pathways, and modern connector trails. Within the planning period of 15 years, the goal would be to complete the linear trail within the priority zone from Kawaihae to Pu'uhonua o Honaunau NHP and to protect other segments outside of that area as feasible. In the long term, cultural and natural resources along the entire trail tread and agreed-upon adjacent areas would be protected and interpreted to the public. The NPS would administer the trail, but management outside of the national parks would remain with the land managing agency or landowner. The NPS would offer technical assistance and limited financial assistance to these management partners. Partnerships with state and county agencies, the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, community organizations, and private individuals would help protect trail resources and provide appropriate trail user services. An auto tour would be completed. Scoping Summary: On April 4, 2003, the NPS published the Notice of Intent formally initiating the conservation planning and environmental impact analysis process for the Ala Kahakai NHT comprehensive management plan; the scoping period extended through June 28, 2003. Over 1,830 public scoping meeting announcements were mailed using an address list that included hiking enthusiasts affiliated with E Man Na Ala Held, various legislators, the Caleche-Hanukkah N.P. contact list, and interested individuals, organizations, and agencies that provided their contact information to the trail staff. The NPS advertised meetings in West Hawaii Today and Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Large signs were posted on meeting days in high-visibility areas on adjacent roadways and on buildings where the meetings were held to encourage walk-by and drive-by participation. Meeting announcements also appeared in the Ala Kahakai NHT and E Man Na Ala Held newsletters. Altogether nine open house scoping meetings were hosted between March 22 and June 28, 2003. At the meetings, attendees were encouraged to submit formal input through a Mana'o Form, a questionnaire about how the trail should be managed. A total of 200 people representing the general public, private landowners, trail advocacy groups, native Hawaiian organizations, and state, county, and federal agencies attended these meetings. About 25 Mana'o Forms were returned to the trail office. In addition, the planning team met with numerous individuals, community groups, private landowners, and government agency representatives to understand their concerns and visions for the Ala Kahakai NHT. Using the information for all these sources, the planning team prepared draft versions of the purpose and significance statements, management prescriptions, and management alternatives. Between July 2003 and March 2004, the planning team developed five preliminary alternatives for future management based on information gained from the scoping process: No Action, Single Ala Kahakai Trail alternative, Ahupua'a Trail Systems alternative, Historic Trail Clusters alternative, and Public Lands alternative. The NPS provided a booklet to the public describing these alternatives and inviting comment. In addition, the NPS conducted nine public meetings between April 17 and June 19, 2004, to gather comments on the alternatives. The comment period for the draft alternatives closed on June 25, 2004. Subsequently the planning team prepared a draft alternatives document that eliminated alternative E because it was favored in public meetings only as a step to completing the entire trail. Eventually, alternative D was eliminated for the same reason. In December 2006, to ensure that issues were properly stated and addressed, an internal review draft of this document was sent to the four national parks on Hawaii Island, other National Park Service reviewers, and reviewers in Hawaii who have been involved in the study process and have knowledge of the Ala Kahakai NHT. These reviewers' comments were incorporated into the public review draft. Commenting On The Draft EIS: Six public workshops on the proposed plan will be hosted during the week of November 5-10, 2007 at various locations on the island of Hawaii. Locations, dates, and other workshop details will be advertised by direct mailing and notices placed in the local newspapers. All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies will be encouraged to participate and provide comments, suggestions, and additional information. All written comments must be postmarked not later than 60 days following publication in the Federal Register by EPA of their notice of filing of the Draft EIS (as soon as this date can be confirmed it will be announced on the park's Web site, and included in workshop mailings). Written comments on the Draft EIS/CMP should be addressed to Superintendent, Ala Kahakai NHT, 73-4786 Kanalani Street, 14, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740. Questions at this time regarding the comprehensive management plan and EIS planning process or inquiries about public meetings should be addressed to the superintendent either by mail or by telephone at (805) 326-6012. The document will be sent directly to those who have requested it, and will also be available at the park headquarters and local libraries, or electronically at https:// parkplanning.nps.gov/alka (an electronic public comment form is also provided at this Web site). Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire commentincluding your personal identifying informationmay be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Decision: Following careful analysis of public and agency comments on the Draft EIS, it is anticipated at this time that the final EIS would be available in winter of 2008. As a delegated EIS, the official responsible for the final decision is the Regional Director, Pacific West Region. A Record of Decision would not be prepared sooner than 30 days following release of the Final EIS/CMP; notice of the decision will be posted in the Federal Register and announced in local and regional newspapers. Following approval of the comprehensive management plan and EIS, the official responsible for undertaking implementation of the plan will be the Superintendent, Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.

Pursuant to Section 10(a), Public Law 92-463, as amended, notice is hereby given of a forthcoming meeting of the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). The purpose of the Committee meeting is to do the second review of the 2007 report and work on the findings and recommendations. The meeting is open to the public, subject to the availability of space. Interested persons may submit a written statement for consideration by the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. Individuals submitting a written statement must submit their statement to the Point of Contact listed below at the address detailed below, NLT 5 p.m., 12 November 2007. If a written statement is not received by 12 November 2007 prior to the meeting, which is the subject of this notice, then it may not be provided to or considered by the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services until its next open meeting. The Designated Federal Officer will review all timely submissions with the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services Chairperson and ensure they are provided to the members of the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. If members of the public are interested in making an oral statement, a written statement must be submitted as above. After reviewing the written comments, the Chairperson and the Designated Federal Officer will determine who of the requesting persons will be able to make an oral presentation of their issue during an open portion of this meeting or at a future meeting. Determination of who will be making an oral presentation will depend on time available and if the topics are relevant to the Committee's activities. Two minutes will be allotted to persons desiring to make an oral presentation. Oral presentations by members of the public will be permitted only on Thursday, 15 November from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. before the full Committee. Number of oral presentations to be made will depend on the number of requests received from members of the public.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected costs and burden; it includes the actual data collection instruments [if any].

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning an information collection titled, ``Examination Questionnaire.'' The OCC also gives notice that it has sent the information collection to OMB for review and approval.

This rule modifies Class D airspace at Castle Airport, Atwater, CA. This action lowers the ceiling of the Atwater, Castle Class D airspace to below 2.000 feet mean sea level (MSL), changes the southern boundary of the airspace and add an extension to the north. FAA is taking this action to provide controlled airspace for the safety of aircraft executing Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and other Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at Castle Airport. Except for editorial changes, this rule is the same as the Notice of Proposed Rule Making.

This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (Bell) Helicopters. That AD currently requires inspecting each affected tail rotor blade (blade) forward tip weight retention block (tip block) and the aft tip closure (tip closure) for adhesive bond voids, and removing any blade with an excessive void from service. That AD also requires modifying certain blades by installing shear pins and tip closure rivets. This amendment contains the same requirements but expands the applicability to include other part and serial-numbered blades. This AD also clarifies the requirement to re-identify the modified blade by adding ``FM'' after the part number and also requires dynamically balancing the tail rotor. The existing AD was prompted by five occurrences of missing tip blocks or tip closures resulting in minor to substantial damage. This amendment was prompted by the determination that the AD should apply to other affected part and serial-numbered blades. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent loss of a tip block or tip closure, loss of a blade and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.